Casket trim with spaced side member stiffeners



R. T. M CLIVE CASKET TRIM WITH SPACED SIDE MEMBER STIFFENERS Filed March8, 1965 4 Oct. 3, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet l V 4 so 4 FTEUJJ: "3hr I NVENTOR.

Oct. 3-, 1967 3,344,494

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Oct. 3, 1967 3,344,494 CASKET TRIM WITH SPACED SIDE MEMBER STIF'FENERSFi led March 8,1965

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ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,344,494 CASKET TRIM WITH SPACED SIDEMEMBER STIFFENERS Ralph T. McClive, Kenmore, N.Y., assignor to EasternFabricating Co., Inc., Buffalo, N .Y. Filed Mar. 8, 1965, Ser. No.438,018 2 Claims. (CI. 27-19) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosurerelates to the trim or decorations used in connectionwith the interiorsof caskets. Particularly the disclosure deals with upholstery for caskettop interiors which are made so as to fit the interiors of a number ofdifferent caskets made by different manufacturers and which can beinstalled by unskilled persons and without requiring any specialimplements or tools. The frame members are made of a material which canbe readily flexed to fit various sizes of casket tops without premoldingor shaping the frame members. The installation also includes side framemembers formed to fit against the edges of a casket lid and which aremade short to leave spaces or openings between the ends of the framemembers at their ends at the corners of the casket top, which are filledby the padding and decorative covering of the frame members.

This invention relates to caskets and more particularly to the trim ordecorations used in connection with the interiors of caskets.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide installations orupholstery for casket top interiors which can be readily installed byunskilled labor and without requiring special implements or tools.

Another object is to provide frame or edge members formed to fit theedge of a casket top or lid which are made short so that the ends ofadjacent frame members are spaced apart, leaving spaces at the cornerswhich are filled with padding or other flexible covering of the framemembers, thus avoiding the need for accurate fitting together of themeeting ends of the frames.

A further Object is to make the frame members of a resilient materialthat can be readily flexed to install the same in a casket top withoutpremolding 0r shaping the same to fit the casket top.

It is also an object to form the trim or upholstery mostly in flatpieces to facilitate handling and shipment of the same.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a casket having an interior decorativeunit embodying this invention installed therein.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the head end of the casket as seen alongthe line 2 2, FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view thereof on line 3-3, FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view thereof on line 44, FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a perspective detached view of one end frame member of theupholstery covering of the lid or top.

FIG. 6 is a view showing the structure of the end frame member beforethe material is bent into its final shape, as shown in FIG. 5, on areduced scale.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are fragmentary sections thereof on lines 77 and 88, FIG.3.

FIG. 9 is a view of the resilient stiffener of an end frame memberbefore being bent into final shape.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 except that the upper edge of thestiffener is shown bent over to reinforce the edge, and padding is shownapplied to the stiffener.

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FIG. 11 is a side view of the cardboard stiffener forming a side of theinterior trim of the top of the casket.

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 11 except that the upper edge of thestiffener is shown bent over for reinforcing this edge and padding hasbeen applied thereto.

FIG. 13 is a face view of the upholstery or interior trim for the lid ofthe casket before the same is installed therein.

FIGS. 14 and 15 are side views of two parts of an elongated edge memberof the upholstery or interior trim of an elongtaed lid or cover.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the upholstery showing the two parts shown inFIGS. 14 and 15 to form a frame member of greater length for use in theevent that the lid or cover extends through the full length of thecasket.

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary section thereof on line 1717, FIG. 16.

In the drawings which show by way of example one embodiment of thisinvention, 20 represents a casket of usual type having a hinged top orlid 21. My improvements are intended for use in lining or upholsteringthe interior of the dome-shaped top 21. In the construction shown thecasket and top are formed of sheet metal and the lid has ornamentalsides 22 terminating in an upwardly extending flange 24. My improvementshowever are also applied to caskets of wood or other suitable material.

The interior unit or upholstery includes a flat, generally rectangularbase member 25 which may be formed in any suitable or desired manner,for example, by means of a relatively rigid cardboard sheet 27 overwhich may be stretched a flexible cushioning, fibrous sheet material,such as Wadding 28, and a cover 29 of any suitable decorative material.

The interior trim or upholstery includes opposite side frame members 30and 31 and end members 32 and 42. These members are formed of aresilient sheet material of paper or cardboard 27, preferably of thetype commonly referred to as chip board, which is resilient, in that itmay be bent into arc-shape and sufficiently resilient to tend, afterbending, to return to flat shape when not restrained. This resilientsheet material or stiffner 27, which imparts the rounded form to theframe members, has one of its edges turned over and stitched or stapledin any suitable manner to the edges of the base member 25, and beforeinstallation in the lid the side frames may be folded flatly against thebase member 25, thus providing a compact, flat unit which can be readilyshipped and handled. If desired the stiffener may be folded into fiatform for shipment to a dealer, which he himself may assemble thestiffener to the base member 25.

The resilient stiffeners 27 of the frames 30, 31 and 32 have appliedtheretoa suitable cushioning, flexible, fibrous material, such aswadding 34, preferably made of wood fibers in sheet form. Upon thisfibrous material or wadding is placed the decorative covering fabric 35.This wadding or cushioning material and the finishing fabric need not besecured to all edges of the resilient stiffener 27 but will of course besecured to the edges of the base member, preferably by means of somestitching or fastenings which hold the stiffener on the base.

When the upholstery is installed in the casket top 21, the base member25 is first placed into the top adjacent to the domed portion 21thereof, and the outer edges of the stiffeners of the frame 30, 31 and32 are flexed into rounded or arc shape, as clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and4, and the outer, free edges of the same are placed under the inwardlyextending flanges 24 of the casket top so that the frames then areapproximately in the shape shown in FIG. 4. The resilient stiffenermembers 27 will consequently press the other two layers of materialagainst the flanges 24 and thus hold them in place. At the right of FIG.4 the cushioning material and the decorative covering both extend underthe flange 24 and at the left of FIG. 4 only the stiffener 27 extendsunder the flange 24. This side of the cover or lid is hinged to the bodyportion of the casket, as shown at 38, and the cushioning layer 34 andcovering material 35 are consequently permitted to extend along theexterior of the inwardly turned flange 24 so as to cover the hinge. Thedecorative fabric and the fibrous material along the edge of the sideframe member 31 may be stitched together as shown at 39, either bythread stitching or by staples.

The end frame member 32 is installed in the lid of the casket in thesame manner as the side members 30 and 31.

At the other end of the lid or cover I have provided an end frame member42 which is also made of an inner layer of resilient stiffening materialcovered by cushioning fibrous material and a decorative sheet material.Since there is no flange on this end of the cover or lid I have bent theresilient stiffener into the shape shown at the right in FIG. 3, to forma rounded panel 43 ending in two straight panels which converge towardeach other and which have flanges 45 arranged parallel to each other andsecured together by means of stitching or stapling 46. This stitching orstapling 46 also extends through the base member 25 so that this framemember is securely held in place.

One of the features of this invention which has proven very desirable isthe fact that I form the resilient stiffeners of the frame membersshorter than the cushioning and decorative sheets so that the ends ofthe resilient stitfeners do not come together because of the way inwhich the edge of the resilient stiffener members 27 are supported bythe flanges 24 of the lid or cover, so there is no need for securingtogether the ends of these stiffeners, and consequently slots or gapsare formed between the adjacent ends of the stiffeners. These slots orgaps can be filled by folding the flexible cushioning material 34 andthe covering material 35 downwardly into the slots or spaces between theframe members, as clearly shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. These folded-downportions of the decorative fabric and cushioning material can besmoothly arranged at these corners to avoid creases or folds and thusprovide a very neat appearance of the interior construction. Thisfeature of my invention also has the advantage that the carefulinterfitting of the stiffeners 27 of the frame members is entirelyeliminated. Since the cushion material may be compressed to any desiredextent, the width of the slots or spaces at the ends of the frames ofthe top is not critical.

In FIG. 5 I have shown how the construction of the end frame member 42is readily adaptable to fit the shape of the casket top 21. FIG. 6 showsthe blank on a reduced scale from which the stiffener of the end framemember is formed and showing score lines on which it is folded.

The manner in which the cushioning, fibrous material 34 and thedecorative covering material 35 extends into the spaces between the endsof the resilient stiffeners 27 is clearly illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8.The formation of the frame members to leave slots in the corners of theframe members of the casket top makes it possible to provide well formedcorners by pushing the fibrous material and decorative covering into theslots or gaps between the resilient stiffeners 27 of the frame members.

In FIG. 13 I have shown my interior trim or upholstery assembled andready to be applied to the casket top, except that the decorative fabriccovering has been omitted in this figure to avoid confusion. When thiscompleted unit is placed in a casket top, the stiffeners of the threeframes 30, 31 and 32 are flexed to permit the outer edges thereof toengage the flanges 24, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the resilience of thestiffeners urges the base or center piece 25 against the dome-shapedportion of the lid or top and thus holds the base together with theframe member 42 fastened thereto, securely in place. It is also obviousthat this assembled interior trim may be readily removed from the caskettop and replaced by another if desired. Since the trim is not tacked orotherwise secured to wooden strips, such as are frequently employed incasket tops.

By making the stiffeners of a resilient cardboard or the like, any edgesthereof that require reinforcement may have such edges formed bydoubling the same, for example, by bending or folding the edges over asshown at 48 in FIGS. 3 and 4. Thus FIGS. 8 and 9 show parts of the endframe 32, FIG. 8 showing the stiffening in flat form and FIG. 9 showingthe upper edge of the stiffener folded over at 48 to reinforce the same,and covered with cushioning material 34. Similarly, in FIG. 11 is shownthe stiffening member forming a part of one of the side frames 30 or 31in flat or unfolded form, and in FIG. 12 these members are shown withthe upper edge 48 folded over for reinforcement and covered with a layerof cushioning material 34. V-shaped notches 49 form a point of weaknessin the stiffening fold 48 to permit more easily insertion of the framemembers into the casket top.

In FIGS. 14-17 I have shown parts of an elongated side frame for use incaskets in which the top or lid extends throughout the length of thecasket. In FIGS. 14 and 15 stiffeners 60 and 61 are shown with theirupper edges folded over and covered with cushioning material 62 and 63.These two parts of a side frame may then be secured together as shown inFIG. 16 by overlapping them and then securing them together with staplesor other fasteners 64, which are also shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, in whichthe edges of the cushioning material of the two parts are shownabutting. The stiffeners 60 and 61 may be provided with notches 49' toprovide weakness points for ease of bending and insertion into thecasket lid. In the full length lid, the end frames employed areidentical with the frame 32.

The construction shown has the advantage that it avoids entirely thepremolding of the stiffeners and other parts of the frame members, sothat they can be shipped in flat form from a factory and can beinstalled by unskilled persons. The end frame member 42 may also beshipped flat and scored, as shown in FIG. 6, so that it can be readilybent into the shape shown in FIG. 5 with the extensions of the samestapled together. By making the corners of the frames as described, nointerfitting of the same is required, since the ends of the stiffenersare spaced apart to provide grooves or slots into which the cushioningmaterial and decorative cover may be inserted. When the resilientstiffeners are made of a sheet material, generally referred to as chipboard, then the same provides a resilient surface which can be flexedinwardly under pressure to avoid the rigid appearance and feeling ofsimilar side frames made of corrugated cardboard or other premoldedmaterial. The use of a cushioning material also provides a soft andyielding feeling. Since none of the interior upholstery requires anynailing or tacking to wood strips or pieces arranged within the casketcover, the entire assembly as shown in FIG. 13 can be readily insertedinto a casket cover as shown in FIG. 2 and removed therefrom andreplaced by another if desired. Because of this easy replacing of theinterior upholstery on a casket, a reduced inventory of caskets isrequired by any dealer since different interior trims may be shown tocustomers on a single casket.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials andarrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustratedin order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by thoseskilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention asexpressed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An interior decorative unit for insertion into a casket top havinginwardly extending flanges at its periphery, including a substantiallyflat base member fitting into the casket to and formed of relativelyrigid sheet material,

a plurality of side frame members disposed along the sides of the basemember and including normally flat stiifeners of resilient sheetmaterial hingedly secured to edges of the base member,

said stifieners of said side frames being bent about their connectionswith said base member against their inherent resiliency and engagingsaid flanges and forming bowed surfaces resiliently supporting said basein said casket top, said stiffeners of said side members being spacedapart at their adjacent ends to form between them slots, a layer ofresilient material and a covering of decorative material overlying saidpadding material and said stiffener and extending beyond the ends ofsaid stitfeners and into said slots..

2. An interior decorative unit for insertion into a casket top includinga substantially flat base member fitting into the interior of the caskettop,

and side frame members attached to edges of said base member and havingtheir ends disconnected from the ends of adjacent frame members and eachincluding resilient stifiening members incorporated in said side framemembers and flexible into arcs of various curvatures in cross sectionand resiliently supporting said base member in said top,

the ends of the stiffening members being spaced apart to form gaps atthe corners of the base member, said side frame members having acushioning member and a layer of decorative material covering theexposed surfaces of said stifiening members and extending beyond theends thereof to be inserted into said gaps.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,664,615 1/1954 Hillenbrand etal 27-19 2,867,030 1/1959 Hillenbrand 27-19 X 3,077,016 2/1963 White27-19 3,233,302 2/ 1966 Ross 27-19 X RICHARD A. GAUDET, PrimaryExaminer.

W. E. KAMM, Assistant Examiner.

1. AN INTERIOR DECORATIVE UNIT FOR INSERTION INTO A CASKET TOP HAVINGINWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGES AT ITS PERIPHERY, INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLYFLAT BASE MEMBER FITTING INTO THE CASKET TOP AND FORMED OF RELATIVELYRIGID SHEET MATERIAL, A PLURALITY OF SIDE FRAME MEMBERS DISPOSED ALONGTHE SIDES OF THE BASE MEMBER AND INCLUDING NORMALLY FLAT STIFFENERS OFRESILIENT SHEET MATERIAL HINGEDLY SECURED TO EDGE OF THE BASE MEMBER,SAID STIFFENERS OF SAID SIDE FRANES BEING BENT ABOUT THEIR CONNECTIONSWITH SAID BASE MEMBERS AGAINST THEIR INHERENT RESILIENCY AND ENGAGINGSAID FLANGES AND FORMING BOWED SURFACES RESILIENTLY SUPPORTING SAID BASEIN SAID CASKET TOP, SAID STIFFENERS OF SAID MEMBERS BEING SPACED APARTAT THEIR ADJACENT ENDS TO FORM BETWEEN THEM SLOTS, A LAYER OF RESILIENTMATERIAL AND A COVERING OF DECORATIVE MATERIAL OVERLYING SAID PADDINGMATERIAL AND SAID STIFFENER AND EXTENDING BEYOND THE ENDS OF SAIDSTIFFENERS AND INTO SAID SLOTS.